The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will be installing electronic monitoring equipment in conjunction with a water sampling survey on Bayous Lacombe, Big Branch and Cypress in St. Tammany Parish. The equipment will be installed October 6-10. The units will be located near Lacombe.
The survey is being conducted to gather water quality information that will be used to restore and protect the water body. The data gathered from the survey will be used to identify suspected pollutants in the water body that may cause or contribute to low oxygen levels in the water.
Citizens are asked not to tamper with the equipment that will be mounted on rebar, fence posts, white PVC poles or buoys. During the survey, a bright red, non-toxic dye will be injected into the water. Citizens who notice the red coloration of the water should not be alarmed. The water body will return to its normal state and color by the end of the day. The dye is used to determine flow and distribution patterns of the bayou. These patterns are used to establish sampling points for the survey and to aid in the development of a total maximum daily load, which is the maximum amount of a pollutant that can be released into a water body without causing it to become impaired and/or violate state water quality standards. TMDLs are used as a basis for establishing wastewater discharge limits.
Smart Bodies, a program developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and the LSU AgCenter to prevent and combat childhood obesity in our state, is one of four programs to be honored this year as Blue Works winners. Blue Works is a program of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and the Harvard Medical School Department of Health Care Policy to recognize innovative and ground-breaking programs that help people lead healthier lives.
Representatives from Blue Cross and the LSU AgCenter will participate Monday in a webcast presentation of all four winning programs.
WHEN:Monday, October 6, 2008, 12:30 p.m.
WHO:Chris Izui, Office of Clinical Affairs, BCBSA
Dr. Bruce Landon, HarvardMedicalSchool
Mary Kay Holleran, RN, Highmark Blue Shield's Caring Foundation (Pennsylvania)
Dr. Tom Tran, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
Grace Ting, Anthem Blue Cross (California)
Christy Oliver Reeves, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation
WHY:Though developed in response to local needs, each Blue Works program has the potential for broad national reach.
TO JOIN:-For audio and visual streamed to your PC, log on to:
http://video.webcasts.com/events/webx001/28314/
-For audio only, dial (866) 394-6207 and enter Conference ID #: 670-40-545
For more information and to confirm your attendance on the webcast, please contact Katie Kunec at (202) 585-2766 or kkunec@powelltate.com.
DEQ
Gas distributors throughout the state were recently granted a waiver that allows them to use a winter blend of gasoline six weeks earlier than usual for all but 16 parishes. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Quality worked together to approve the waiver that could alleviate fuel interruptions and shortages, as well as to help with recovery from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
The shift to winter fuel increases the chances of a high ozone days because the winter fuel releases more precursors which help form ozone such as volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. These increases, along with warm, dry and stagnant weather conditions, can be conducive to the formation of ozone. Therefore, the state is encouraging the public to check the Air Quality Index daily and plan your activities accordingly. Sensitive groups, such as the elderly and young children, should take precautions such as limiting outdoor activities should the AQI reach the orange level.
Due to the increased possibility of ozone formation, the state is asking everyone to take voluntary measures to help reduce the chance of ozone formation. Since many parishes in the state could potentially be classified as nonattainment areas because of the new more restrictive ozone standard, it is more important than ever for everyone to practice ozone action measures daily. Industry has been asked to inspect seals, use best available technology to look for leaks and to implement best management practices to reduce any leaks.
The public is also being asked to take ozone-reducing measures. These measures include:
·Carpooling, combining errands, taking public transportation and limiting daytime driving
·Fuel when it’s cool and mow or use gas powered combustion engines after 6 p.m.
·Take your lunch to work
·Drive “emission-wise” – avoid prolonged idling and jack rabbit starts
Ferro Corporation announced today that it has signed an asset purchase agreement with Novolyte Technologies LP, an affiliate of Arsenal Capital Management LP, to sell its Fine Chemicals business for $66 million in cash.
“This sale is consistent with our vision of focusing Ferro’s businesses around our core capabilities of particle engineering, formulation, color and glass science, and our deep understanding of customer applications,” said Ferro Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer James F. Kirsch. “The decision to sell the business is a result of a regular review of our business portfolio. Fine Chemicals consists of a number of smaller businesses that do not effectively leverage the scale of Ferro’s core performance materials operations. I am confident that the Fine Chemicals business will continue to pursue many exciting opportunities under its new owners. At the same time, Ferro will benefit from additional liquidity and balance sheet flexibility as proceeds from the sale are used to reduce debt.”
The Fine Chemicals business produces electrolytes used in the manufacture of lithium batteries, specialty solvents, and phosphines and also does contract manufacturing of fine chemicals. It recorded 2007 revenues of approximately $55 million and currently employs approximately 140 employees who will be transferred to Novolyte as a result of the sale. The business includes manufacturing facilities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Suzhou, China.
The agreement is subject to normal closing conditions and the sale is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2008. KeyBanc Capital Markets served as Ferro’s financial advisor and investment banker for this transaction.
URS
URS Corporation today announced that SGT LLC, a 50-50 joint venture between URS’ Washington Division and AREVA NP Inc., has been awarded a contract by Entergy Operations, Inc. to provide project management, engineering and construction services for the replacement of two steam generators and a reactor vessel head at its Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station in Louisiana. The contract has an approximate value of $120 million to SGT LLC.
SGT’s engineering and planning activities will begin immediately with installation scheduled for spring 2011. The replacement services provided by SGT will include management and outage planning, design engineering, construction and craft management, rigging and handling of the old and new steam generators, heavy haul transportation, fit-up metrology, and large-bore pipe cutting and welding. SGT and its antecedent organizations have previously replaced steam generators at 20 other facilities across the United States.
“We are delighted SGT has been selected to engineer and manage the replacement of Entergy Operations’ nuclear equipment,” said Tom Zarges, President of URS’ Washington Division. “This project follows another successful steam generator replacement project for Entergy at Arkansas Nuclear One, which was named 2006 Best Nuclear Project of the Year by Power Engineering magazine.”
URS Corporation (NYSE: URS) is a leading provider of engineering, construction and technical services for public agencies and private sector companies around the world. The Company offers a full range of program management; planning, design and engineering; systems engineering and technical assistance; construction and construction management; operations and maintenance; and decommissioning and closure services. URS provides services for power, infrastructure, industrial and commercial, and federal projects and programs. Headquartered in San Francisco, the Company operates through three divisions: the URS Division, the EG&G Division and the Washington Division. URS Corporation has more than 50,000 employees in a network of offices in more than 30 countries (www.urscorp.com).
